One of the most popular diet that has withstand criticisms and controversies is the Atkins diet. It was developed by Dr. Robert Atkins in 1972 when he first published a book Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution. A series of books about dieting were also published with some modification and changes but still focusing on his diet concepts. Right now, his company has already served countless clients who want to lose weight.

Dr. Atkins diet was based on low carbohydrate diet. The doctor believed that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups. By limiting the intake of these foods, the body’s metabolism changes from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat.

This process leads to ketosis lipolysis. According to wikipedia, the condition occurs when some of the lipid stores in fat cells are transferred to the blood and are thereby used for energy. On the other hand, caloric carbohydrates impact the body by increasing blood sugar after consumption. Lastly, because of fiber’s low digestibility, it provides little or no food energy and does not significantly impact glucose and insulin levels.

He also believed that the low-carbohydrate diet produces a metabolic advantage in which the body burns more calories as compared to normal diets and also expels some unused calories. As a result it will effectively reduce the weight of the dieter.

However, the Atkins diet was criticized for lack of clinical studies to back up its claims. A lot of obese people already tried this kind of diet and was able to experience dramatic weight loss. There were also some reported cases where the Atkins diet helped in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, lowers the low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and increases the amount of HDL cholesterol. But critics have also gathered evidences that the diet can be dangerous to one’s health. It may contribute to cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, osteoporosis, and kidney stones.

When opting for the Atkins Diet as a method for weight loss, it requires patience and discipline. The method is difficult to follow especially for people who do not want to be restricted on the type of food to eat. To maintain the positive effects of the diet, you have to follow it for longer periods or even a lifetime modification of your diet.

Atkins Diet has 4 phases. You start with the induction phase which is considered as the most difficult part of the diet since you have to follow a restrictive diet for a minimum of 2 weeks. The purpose is to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. There are specific kinds of foods that will be allowed during this phase. Carbohydrate intake should not be more than 20 net grams per day. During this phase, 5 to 10 lbs per week weight loss can be achieved especially when combined with daily exercises.

The next is the ongoing weight loss phase, followed by pre-maintenance and the last stage is the lifetime maintenance. In these stages, the intake of carbohydrates increases but monitoring of food intake is still a must. The other stages will support the continued loss in weight and prevents gaining weight after the induction phase.

However, another setback of this type of diet is the cost. Following the Atkins diet will not be effective for people who are on budgetary constraint since the type of foods are carefully chosen such as meat and other fruits and vegetables.

Numerous medical organizations have also cited some dangers in following this type of diet. In the 2004 medical journal review, they concluded that the Atkins Diet runs counter to all the current evidence-based dietary recommendations. The American Dietetic Association previously issued warnings about the potential hazards of the Atkins Diet on the health. Some critics also speculated that Dr. Atkins died from the complications caused by his own diet program.

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